• The Centre appointed special director Rahul Navin as in-charge director of the ED till the name of the regular director is announced or until further orders.
• Rahul Navin, a 1993-batch IRS officer, has taken charge as the acting director of the ED replacing Sanjay Kumar Mishra, an IRS officer of the 1984 batch.
• In July, the Supreme Court granted an extension of tenure to ED chief Mishra till September 15 but made it clear there would be no further extension.
• Mishra was first appointed the ED director for two years on November 19, 2018. Later, by an order, the central government modified the appointment letter retrospectively and his two-year term was changed to three years.
The Centre on Friday appointed special director Rahul Navin as in-charge director of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) till the name of the regular director is announced or until further orders, according to an official order.
Rahul Navin, a 1993-batch IRS officer, has taken charge as the acting director of the ED replacing Sanjay Kumar Mishra, an IRS officer of the 1984 batch.
With his appointment, Navin becomes the most senior officer within the central probe agency. Navin has also served as the chief vigilance officer of the ED headquarters. The order stated that the President “is pleased to order the cessation of tenure of Sanjay Kumar Mishra…as Director of Enforcement in the Enforcement Directorate on 15.09.2023.”
In July, the Supreme Court granted an extension of tenure to ED chief Mishra till September 15 but made it clear there would be no further extension. The apex court order came days after it had held as “illegal” two notifications by the Centre granting the extension of service, for one year each time, Mishra as the chief of the Enforcement Directorate.
During the hearing, the top court questioned the Centre for seeking an extension for the officer and asked if the entire department was “full of incompetent people” except for its incumbent chief.
The top law officer argued the continuity in the ED leadership was necessary in view of the peer review by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the global anti-money laundering and terror financing watchdog, whose rating matters. Mehta said Mishra was “not indispensable” but his presence was necessary for the entire exercise.
Senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for one of the petitioners who had earlier challenged the extension granted to Mishra, opposed the Centre’s application and termed it “deplorable” that a review of the July 11 verdict of the apex court was being sought in the garb of an application for extension of his tenure.
Mishra was first appointed the ED director for two years on November 19, 2018. Later, by an order dated November 13, 2020, the central government modified the appointment letter retrospectively and his two-year term was changed to three years.
(With inputs from agencies)
